A Blessed Solstice

12/21/2020

Solstices hold a special reminder for me that a new path will reveal itself.

This past year, we have experienced a combination of events that could have been written in fiction books.

You can't survive tumultuous times without changing and adapting.

I have gone through all of the emotions many times over this year and I keep coming back to love. This is not disengaging with everything that has happened and is still happening, but seeing it with open eyes and calling in higher love.

Emotional rollercoasters are familiar emotions in the communities Syzygy Dance Project supports with its volunteer work.

Whether it's an incarcerated woman recovering from the abuse she suffered, the veteran still dealing with PTSD, the recovering addict trying to remain sober, the healthcare aid working long hours during the pandemic, or the elderly shut-in dealing with extreme loneliness.

When I work with these communities--inviting them to trust the dance process, I am overwhelmed with gratitude when I see them shift from thoughts of despair to hope.

In our current home represented by little ZOOM squares on the screen, we listen as the music plays and I sway in the beat's rhythm, gently talking about the breath moving through the body as the participants slowly begin to move with me.

Then the magic begins to happen.

Inch by inch, step by step, we feel the rhythms, and finally, let go. Web cameras that are turned off begin to turn on to visually join the online group. Sometimes I see attendees singing with the movement in their space. We start to feel a connection (even through ZOOM) that is stronger than simply staring at a device screen.

We feel as if our spirits are dancing together through space.

At the end of class, their eyes reflect hope. They smile and see what's possible beyond current circumstances.

This is the gift we receive when we offer our movement classes in our outreach community, and we couldn't do it without your support. These life-shifting experiences happen because of YOU.

I hope you will continue to help our work through 2021 with your donations or taking one of my classes. I do love dancing with you. I am overjoyed when I see your faces in class. It's wonderful.

I invite you to take a moment during this 'great conjunction' solstice to reflect on how you’d like to come out of this year and decade.

I look forward to seeing you on the other side!

With Gratitude,

Sylvie Minot and the SDP Team

A Solstice Blessing by Molly Remer, an Ojibwa prayer

May you have a warm heart, open hands, a creative mind.
May you experience inspiration and brilliance, clarity and focus.
May you laugh richly and deeply.
May you circle and celebrate, may you change and grow
May that which is waiting to be unlocked be freed.
And may you soar with the knowing that you are carried by a great wind across the sky.

END OF YEAR GIVING

Have you done your end-of-year-giving yet?

If you haven’t completed your end-of-year donations, there are many many ways you can support our work.

Here are 5 ways you can help:

When you click on any of the names above, you will be redirected to more information on how to give to SDP.

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